The present invention relates to a device for holding rod-shaped workpieces, especially for holding cylindrical containers, for example, in the form of test tubes. The device is comprised of a base plate which is spaced at a distance from a support surface, the base plate having means for receiving and clamping a workpiece.
From German Offenlegungsschrift 36 41 411 a holder for an insulating bottle (thermos bottle) and a beaker to be connected thereto is known. The clamping means in this device are embodied as clamps in the form of an elastic arm with which the insulating bottle, respectively, the beaker is gripped within a range of 120.degree. and pressed against a stationary arm. The elastic arm as well as the stationary arm project past the bottom side of the holder comprised of a yoke and a top plate and extend thus in the direction of the objects to be clamped.
Due to the contact of the elastic and the stationary arm over a large area in the axial direction of the insulating bottle and the beaker, these objects are securely held within the holder. However, due to its particular embodiment this holder is only suitable for the disclosed objects, respectively, for two coordinated objects. It is especially disadvantageous that the expenditure for the manufacture of this holder is extremely great because the projecting parts of the top plate as well as the elastic and stationary arms require complicated tools. Moreover, the known holder is relatively large and a versatile use of this device is thus not possible.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a device for holding rod-shaped workpieces of the aforementioned kind that is not only simple in its constructive design and economical to manufacture, but also provides for a secure and reliable holding of different workpieces. Furthermore, it should be possible to arrest a workpiece, depending on the distance from the support surface to the base plate, at different levels. Furthermore, it should be possible to exactly position the workpiece within the base plate so that the holder is usable for receiving containers in an automated manner, for example, within laboratory apparatus. The holding device should however be producible by injection molding without requiring additional assembly work, whereby manufacturing tolerances can taken into consideration. The device should be usable in a versatile manner while providing for a simple handling.